


love comes in many forms

by georgiehensley



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: (temporary), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexuality, Flirting, Friends to Lovers, Gender or Sex Swap, Humor, M/M, Metahumans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 08:12:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14807600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/georgiehensley/pseuds/georgiehensley
Summary: barry is attacked by a meta who can change people's sex and ralph is flirty. shenanigans ensue.





	love comes in many forms

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Something Pink, Something Blue and Someone Purple](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14624369) by [Electrickittenshark](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Electrickittenshark/pseuds/Electrickittenshark). 



> i was reading a fic here on ao3 (i linked it as "inspiration") in which barry and ralph investigate a meta who can change both their own and other people’s sexes but nowhere in the fic are the powers used on either of them, so i thought to take that idea and turn it into a fun “accidental genderswap results in ~feelings~” thing. (especially because ralph is so open with his flirting when it comes to women, but unknowingly targeting barry with his flirting? yes please!)
> 
> also, i guess i’m not super great on involved, possibly high-concept stories as my writing can be more dialogue-heavy than action/description-focused, so consider this a series of scenes from what i imagine would be a very fun episode of the show.
> 
> oh, and this might be my first official time writing ralph, so i apologize in advance if he’s in any way ooc.

barry wakes with a groan to bright light flooding his sight and soft beeps ringing in his ears - the sights and sounds of a hospital. the realization has him bolting upright, only to find himself at s.t.a.r. labs. 

“oh good, you’re awake,” caitlin comments when she sees him sitting up. “you were unconscious when we found you in an alleyway. no noticeable injuries on the outside, nor visible damage on the inside. we’re not quite sure what it was that knocked you out, or how they did it.”

“i don’t remember anything from last night,” barry says, lifting his hands to run over his face, only to freeze, glancing back up at caitlin with wide eyes. “why is my voice higher?” he glances down at his hands, turning them over several times. “why are my hands smaller?” he runs his hands over his face, down his neck, chest and--

“i have  _boobs_?!” he nearly screams. “caitlin... what happened to me?”

“we don’t know  _how_  it happened, exactly,” cailtin says calmly. “but when we found you last night, lying on the ground in your suit, you were - and still are now - a woman.”

* * *

 

“so, everyone knows?” barry asks a few minutes later when the shock starts to wear off.

“well, mostly,” caitlin replies. “harry and cisco took the van to your location and brought you back here. iris and i were here waiting for you, and i ran several tests to try and figure out if anything was wrong with you physically. no injuries, of course, but your dna has changed to xx. but other than the four of us, no, no one else knows.”

“so, joe...?”

“knows we found you unconscious, but nothing else. i’ll tell iris to pass on the message that you’re awake now, but if you don’t want him to know, we won’t tell him.”

“and ralph?”

caitlin bites her lip.

* * *

 

“good morning  _lady_  and gentlemen,” ralph says with a grin as he enters the room, finding iris by the computers while harry and cisco take turns scribbling on the whiteboard. “where’s frosty and our scarlet speedster?” cisco drops the marker in his hand, bending to pick it up.

“barry was, uh,  _hit_  by a meta last night,” he says, playing with the now capped marker as he turns to face ralph. “knocked out in an alleyway. cailtin’s fixing him up.”

“ah,” ralph says, nodding. “doesn’t he have super fast healing, though? he should be fine by now, right?”

“uh--” cisco starts.

“very strong meta,” harry chimes in, back still turned to ralph. “temporarily removed his powers. weakened him.”

“gotcha,” ralph says. “thanks for the info, doc. think i’ll go hang out in the cortex for a little bit.” and with that, he sidles back out, sending a wink iris’ way when she catches his gaze.

“he’s lying,” harry says once he’s gone.

“you think so?” cisco asks.

“definitely.”

“ _shit_ ,” iris mutters, and the three of them all bolt out of the room.

* * *

 

ralph knocks rhythmically on the door before opening the door and walking right in, yet another oh-so friendly grin on his face.

“hello, dr. snow, is your patient--oh,  _hello there_.”

the cute brunette sitting up on the bed squeaks, fumbling with hospital gown (which already covers far too much, for ralph’s liking). cailtin leaps to her feet, standing between ralph and the patient.

“hey, ralph,” she says. “what, um... what are you doing down here?”

“came to check in on barry, ‘cause his super healing _should_ mean he’s up by now,” ralph says, glancing around the room. “but it looks like he’s not here. but who, might i ask, is  _that_  pretty little thing?” the brunette on the bed ducks her head, her hair falling in front of her face, further hiding her from him.

“ralph!” someone -  _cisco_  - calls from the hallway before he, iris, and harry barge into the room. “oh, hey.”

“what the hell’s going on with you guys?” ralph says. “you’re all acting so weird. all i wanna know is who is  _that_  and where’s barry?”

“caitlin,” cisco says.

“ralph,” caitlin says, before stepping aside and gesturing towards the bed. “ _this_  is barry.”

* * *

 

“so are you going after the meta guy--girl-- _person_?” ralph asks after the previous night’s events are explained to him. “and find a way to change barry back?”

“duh,” cisco says. “that’s what harry and i were trying to figure out, a way to reverse barry’s dna back to the way it should be.”

“and i was trying to track meta sightings,” iris explains. “which i’ll be getting back to, if you don’t mind.” she walks out of the room.

“ _shit_ ,” ralph says after a few moments of silence. he glances towards the bed. “sorry, bar.”

“it’s alright,” barry says, shrugging. “you didn’t know.”

“for the record, as a girl? you’re  _gorgeous,”_ ralph says. “bright green eyes, pink lips, an  _amazing_  pair of--” caitlin loudly clears her throat, eyebrows raised when ralph glances towards her. “ears?” cailtin smiles, satisfied.

“not helping,” barry says. ralph blushes.

“sorry,” ralph says. “i’ll just go get out of everyone’s way.”

“no,” barry speaks up as ralph turns to leave. “stay. cisco and harry should get back to what they were doing, and if i’m awake and sitting up, then cailtin no longer has to be here,” he nods at all three of them. “but i don’t have any proper clothes for this, er,  _form_ , and i could use  _someone_  in here to keep me company while i’m stuck.” ralph lets out a small laugh.

“oh, allen,” he says, turning towards barry. “i’m flattered.” barry shakes his head.

“don’t get used to it.”

* * *

 

“you don’t  _actually_  find me attractive like this, do you?” barry asks a short while later when he and ralph are left alone, and ralph’s pulled a seat up right next to his bed. ralph laughs in response to his question.

“have you seen yourself?” he asks. “like this, i mean?” barry nods. “you’re beautiful, barry. exactly my ideal woman.” barry snorts.

“so what am i as a man?” he asks. ralph opens his mouth to respond, but nothing comes out.

“well,” he starts. “you’re, uh... you’re... you--” barry cuts him off with a laugh.

“you’re blushing,” he points out, and ralph touches his warming cheek. “it’s fine, tell me i’m a horrible-looking guy, that i’m no match for you and your  _dashing_  good looks. i can take it.” ralph sighs.

“you know that’s not true at all,” he says. “barry, you’re--you’re beautiful as either sex. really.” now barry’s the one to blush. he feels his face warming and ducks his head.

“stop,” he says. “you’re such a charmer.”

“i know my way around the ladies,” ralph says. “and men. and whatever you are right now - both?” barry shakes his head.

“soon, hopefully just a man.”

* * *

 

hours later, and they successfully found their sex-swapping meta, keeping them in the cortex until they can hone in their powers, turning barry back in the process. he was still knocked unconscious as a result of the transformation, but when he wakes up hours later, he’s completely back to normal.

“welcome back to the world of men, barry,” ralph says, greeting him as he opens his eyes. “how are you feeling?” barry smiles.

“better,” he says. “not that i didn’t like being a girl, but--”

“it’s different?” ralph asks. barry nods.

“yeah.”

“sucks you didn’t stay that way any longer,” ralph says. “’cause, you know,  _exploring._ or scientific exploration, as you guys would probably call it. i don’t know about you, but i’d  _kill_  to know what it’s like to have boobs and--”

“ _ralph_ ,” barry says firmly.

“sorry,” ralph mumbles. barry laughs and shakes his head.

“you don’t want to go through that,” he says. “trust me.”

“sure you didn’t want to do any exploring?” ralph asks. “not even a little bit? i could have helped, if you wanted--”

“ _ralph_ ,” barry says again. ralph falls silent.

a few moments later, barry asks, “would you have really ‘helped’, as you put it, even knowing it was still actually me?”

“yeah, i mean, we are sort of friends now, right? and friends would totally help each other out in a situation like that... right?”

barry laughs and shakes his head again. “no, ralph, i think that’s just you.”

“hmm.”

“you don’t still want to, uh, go ‘exploring’ now that i’m back to normal, do you?”

“barry allen, are you asking me to have  _sex_  with you?”

“what?” barry asks, blushing. “n-no!” ralph laughs.

“you’re cute when you blush.” he says. “buy me dinner first and maybe i’ll take you up on that offer.”

“i wasn’t offering, i was just--”

“ah ah ah,” ralph says, cutting him off, beginning to head out of the room. “dinner. seven o’clock. be there.” and with that, he’s gone, leaving barry to smile and shake his head, fondly rolling his eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> ((are he/his/him pronouns still cool if barry's physically a woman in this fic? i'm just so used to writing him as male, so i just kept it that way. let me know if you think i should change that.))
> 
> also, i'm cis and writing this from my perspective, i guess, on gender. if any part of this makes anyone uncomfortable or should be cut/rewritten, do let me know! it won't offend me at all (as long as you're nice and respectful, of course).


End file.
